Arkansas downs North Dakota State in season-opener, 76-58
The No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks took care of business in their season opener with a 76-58 win over North Dakota State at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
On a day that didn't start well for the team when news broke that freshman Nick Smith Jr. would not play, it was the performance of transfers Ricky Council IV and Trevon Brazile that powered the Razorbacks offensively.
Council, a transfer from Wichita State, paced the team with 22 points — 14 of which came in the second half. Brazile, who came over from Missouri, added 21 points and 12 rebounds and he made a team-high three 3-pointers.
The Hogs shot 49.1% from the field and out-rebounded the Bison 40-35 in the contest.
Here's a full recap:
Arkansas began the game going to what will likely be its bread and butter all season: stingy defense. The Hogs generated a trio of steals that turned into six points and a 9-2 lead just under two and a half minutes into the game.
In the midst of a rough stretch offensively for the Hogs, a 3-pointer at the 13:19 mark by NDSU's Sam Hastreiter tied things up at 14-14. Rhode Island transfer Makhi Mitchell responded with his second bucket of the game to put the Razorbacks back on top.
The Bison made it a 1-point game with just over nine minutes remaining and freshman Jordan Walsh decided to go iso with a defender. He drove to his left and sped right by for a layup to put the Hogs back up by three.
NDSU tied the game with just over seven minutes left in the first half, but Davis — who removed the headband he started the game with — drove the lane and laid in his first basket of the season to regain the Arkansas lead.
The Arkansas defense tightened up during a back-and-forth affair and allowed for the Hogs to pull away slightly. The Bison had missed seven of their last eight shots and were in the midst of a 2:22 scoring drought as the Hogs led 26-21 at the final media timeout of the half.
After allowing an NDSU dunk, Brazile went down the court with a slight limp, but looked pain-free in the corner as he sank Arkansas' first three of the season. On the ensuing Razorback possession, he slammed the ball emphatically to give Arkansas its largest lead since the 17:21 mark.
A turnaround jumper from Davis gave the Hogs a 10-point lead, which dropped to eight after an NDSU layup just before the break that made it 34-26 going into the locker room.
After starting the second half with three team fouls in the first minute and a half, the Hogs found an offensive groove and started to pull away. A 12-1 run over a 2:20 span put them up 48-31 at the 16:09 mark.
A slam by Brazile was followed up by a reverse jam from Council and Bud Walton Arena went bonkers as the Hogs took a 53-35 lead. Council became the first Hog not named Brazile to knock down a 3-pointer and put the Arkansas lead over 20 with just more than 11 minutes remaining.
NDSU went on a 10-0 run following the under 12-minute media timeout to trim the Arkansas lead to 56-45. A driving layup from Council ended the scoring drought.
Council and Makhi Mitchell continued Arkansas' offensive presence in the paint with a trio of baskets that kept the lead at a comfortable margin.
Arkansas went on an offensive run, making six of eight baskets, and a three by Brazile with 0:46 just added on and gave the team a 74-55 lead. A layup by Davis was countered by a NDSU three just before the final buzzer, resulting in a 76-58 final.
Final Stats:
